The Florida Panthers don’t have the same level of history as, say, the Boston Bruins or even the Dallas Stars, but rest assured, since they became Stanley Cup contenders and winners, there are fan bases across the globe who despise many players in the lineup. Today, we take a stab at which ones come to mind when asked: “Which Panthers player do you dislike?”
Radko Gudas
Defenseman Radko Gudas has always been a tough opponent, whether crunching players in Tampa Bay, Florida, or Anaheim; his villain status went to the next level in early 2026. Shortly after the Olympic break, the Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Ducks, and Gudas hit captain Auston Matthews, who missed the remainder of the season with a knee injury. It goes without saying that Gudas no longer has any fans north of the border.
Sam Bennett
As the fourth overall pick in the 2014 Draft, Sam Bennett is the 15th highest-scoring player from his prospect class with 394 points. Once he found his stride in Florida, not only did he become a routine 20-goal scorer, but he also leads his draft class with 794 penalty minutes, and through 767 career games, he’s collected 1,409 hits. On top of two Stanley Cup titles, Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2025 as playoff MVP.
Brady Tkachuk
Brady Tkachuk may be one of the newest members of the Panthers lineup, but he comes to town with a lot of baggage from his days as captain of the Ottawa Senators. As another feisty player who isn’t afraid to drop the gloves, having him in the lineup for the 2026-27 season makes Florida that much more difficult to skate against on a nightly basis. When he returns to Ottawa for the first time, there will be more boos than cheers when he steps on the ice.
Brad Marchand
Brad Marchand was the perfect addition to the Panthers organization in 2025, since he was known around the league as “The Rat.” Whether his on-ice demeanor raised eyebrows across the league, every single fan outside of Boston or Florida would say they’d rather have Marchand in their lineup than play against him. Despite his on-the-edge play, there’s no denying that he’s a future Hall of Famer with more than 1,000 points and multiple Stanley Cup rings.
Matthew Tkachuk
We don’t even need to retell all the stories about how fans feel about Matthew Tkachuk; a recent survey from RotoWorld confirmed everything we already knew: he’s the most hated player in the NHL. Whether it’s the mouthguard hanging from his mouth as he dangles through the defense, or talks smack on his podcast with Brady, there’s no denying that he’s earned the praises and the loathing. When healthy, Tkachuk is one of the league’s best forwards and agitators.
Add us as a preferred source on Google